


The Wild Hunt

by lea_hazel



Series: Joan Watson and the Case of the Changeling Child [3]
Category: Elementary (TV)
Genre: Case Fic, Collection: Purimgifts Day 3, Community: purimgifts, Gen, POV Joan Watson (Elementary), Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-22 20:50:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23000212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lea_hazel/pseuds/lea_hazel
Summary: Joan goes for a jog in Central Park.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: Joan Watson and the Case of the Changeling Child [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1674073
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7
Collections: Purimgifts 2020





	The Wild Hunt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [strangeallure](https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangeallure/gifts).



With her standard background check dossier in hand, Joan called the Davenports to arrange a meeting. Madison picked up on the second ring. 

"Hello, what is it?" 

"Ms. Davenport," said Joan, trying her damndest to remain patient. "It's Joan Watson. I have some documents for you. Could we meet tomorrow morning? I'd rather speak in person." 

"Of course," said Madison. "There's a place across the street from Dion's school. Elderflower Cafe." 

"Perfect," said Joan. "What time would be convenient for you?" 

Madison laughed. "Marjorie is up at dawn for the gym, but I usually don't stir until I have to drop Dion off at school. How about nine?" 

"I'm not much of an early bird myself," said Joan sympathetically. "I'll see you both then." 

* * *

Joan would say she probably spent as much time in Central Park as the average New Yorker. She'd never been much for jogging, though, and she'd never owned a dog, so the early morning hours of a weekday were new to her. Joan took great pride in her work with Sherlock and the police, but it was nice to be able to enjoy the fresh air, knowing that she wasn't walking towards a body. She'd dug up an old track suit from the back of her closet, to better fit in with the early morning crowd. 

Cory Frye was a jogger. There he was, not too far ahead of her, wending his way along the park's paths, away from the lawns and deeper into the trees. Joan followed at a steady pace behind, close enough to keep an eye on his brightly colored college hoodie, but far enough not to be spotted. It was far too early for comfort, and she would much rather be in bed, but kindergarten teachers started their day much earlier than sensible people, apparently. You learn something new every day. 

A flash of bright color among the trees caught her eye, a pair of violently fuchsia bicycle shorts. She dearly didn't want to be right about this, but the evidence of her eyes was hard to ignore. Joan kept jogging for a few minutes longer. She waited and watched as Cory peeled off the beaten path, setting a course to intercept the fuchsia shorts, or rather, the woman wearing them. 

* * *

Half an hour later, after a shower and a cup of coffee, Joan took out her cellphone and pulled up Marjorie's personal number. 

"Hi, Ms. Davenport? I tried your home number, but no one answered." 

"Hi, um, oh," Marjorie stumbled through the greeting. "Maddie is probably still asleep, I'm so sorry. What can I do for you, Ms. Watson?" 

"I'm so sorry, but something came up," she lied. "Could we possibly move our meeting up by half an hour? I'd be glad to speak to you alone, if your wife can't make it." 

Marjorie laughed nervously. "Yeah, she's a late sleeper, but I'm, uh, in the neighborhood. I can make it there half an hour early." 

"Great!" said Joan brightly. "See you then." 

She was at the coffee shop ten minutes before the hour. It paid to be prepared. It also paid to eat before meeting with clients. Sensitive conversations were not best had on an empty stomach. She sat and watched Marjorie Davenport walk in, darting nervous glances this way and that, and waited for her seeking eyes to find the table for three, with a file folder sitting at the center of the table. 

Marjorie sank into the rickety cafe chair, dropping her half-unzipped gym bag on the floor beside her. "Hi," she said breathlessly. "You have news?" 

Joan didn't smile. "Ms. Davenport," she said, "tell me what you know about Cory Frye." 

She blinked. Then her eyes settled on the folder on the table. She reached out for it. "Is this the background check?" 

Joan put her hand over the folder. "Please answer my question, Ms. Davenport." 

Marjorie deflated. "I met him at the school," she said. "I didn't know him before. He sent us a hand-written letter, introducing himself, when he took over Dion's class. He was so good with Dion, and he had such nice things to say about him. He was so *kind*, and just-- ridiculously good-looking, like some kind of fairy tale prince, and-- Maddie's been so--" She started sniffling. 

Joan pulled a packet of tissues from her pocket and handed them to her. 

Blowing her nose and sniffing, Marjorie said, "It wasn't supposed to go this far. It just *happened*. Are you going to tell Maddie?" 

"I wasn't hired to investigate marital infidelity," said Joan. "Your wife is supposed to get here in half an hour, after she drops Dion off at school. I think she'll probably be early." 

Marjorie sniffed. "Fifteen minutes early," she said, damply, "every single time." 

That should give her enough time to have a good cry and decide what she wanted to say. "This conversation is one that needs to happen between you and your wife. I don't see any reason why I should be present for it. I won't check up on you, to see whether you've been honest, but Marjorie, I hope you'll think about what this means for your son." 

She sniffed and nodded. 

Joan stood up and patted the folder on the table twice. "The dossier contains Cory's old teaching record, from before he transitioned, under his old name. If Madison still wants to see it, all the information is there, and it all checks out. He probably would have told her himself, if she'd asked him." 

Marjorie nodded. "He probably would have." 

The bell over the cafe door jangled, and Joan turned to see Madison Davenport, in an immaculate business suit, striding into the shop. She glanced back at Marjorie, who nodded one last time, and then turned to leave. 

* * *

Download full-sized images: [first](https://i.imgur.com/nUa8izj.png), [second](https://i.imgur.com/7KQ9W9Y.png), [third](https://i.imgur.com/C2f5C45.png).


End file.
